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Rest in power king…

The world is definitely hurting after the untimely death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, the 43-year-old succumbing to stage 4 colon-cancer after a four-year-battle. Plenty of tributes and well wishes have already flooded in, with stars like Tessa Thompson, Mark Ruffalo, Ryan Coogler and so many more taking to social media to remember their co-star and friend. One of those who’ve paid tribute to King T’Challa is Hollywood heavyweight Denzel Washington, who told The Hollywood Reporter “He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career. God bless Chadwick Boseman.”

Beyond being fans of each others work and Denzel being a hero for young Chadwick, the two actually have a bit of history. Specifically, Denzel Washington actually funded Chadwick Boseman to study acting at Oxford University, after Boseman was selected for the trip by his teacher Phylicia Rashad, but couldn’t afford the fees. As fate would have it, Washington ended up being Boseman’s donor, and Chad went on to star in recordbreaking smashes such as 42, Marshall, Get On Up and the cultural treasure Black Panther. Chadwick actually opened up on the crazy story on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon show back in 2018, but his tribute to Denzel at the AFI Achievement Awards is definitely the video you have to watch to get caught up on the whole affair.

The money definitely went to good use, and King T’Challa helped to inspire a generation like few have before. Check out both videos of Chad opening up on how Denzel helped launch his career below. Rest in power king.